by Jeff Gluck, USA TODAY Sports

by Jeff Gluck, USA TODAY Sports

CONCORD, N.C. - In an unprecedented move, NASCAR levied the biggest penalty in its history Monday night and altered the makeup of its playoff field two days after it was set.

Gone from the Chase for the Sprint Cup is Michael Waltrip Racing driver Martin Truex Jr., who had made the championship playoff field after teammates Clint Bowyer and Brian Vickers apparently manipulated the outcome of Saturday night's Richmond race under orders from the team.

Ryan Newman, whose playoff hopes were seemingly thwarted by MWR's foul play, was put back into the Chase. But Jeff Gordon, also affected, remained out of the Chase.

"We penalize to ask for it to not happen again," NASCAR President Mike Helton said. "It's a message from the sanctioning body to say, 'You can't do this.'

After warning the drivers to race "fair and square" in a prerace meeting, NASCAR ultimately felt it had to act. Included in the penalty was a record-setting fine of $300,000 to MWR and a deduction of 50 points for each driver. But, it made the points penalty only apply to the regular season - meaning Bowyer will be able to start the Chase only 15 points behind leader Matt Kenseth.

Helton said its penalty was focused on MWR's action and could not address the "ripple effect" created by the fallout. Therefore, although Newman became Chase-eligible with the 50-point penalty to Truex, no aid was given to Gordon.

Gordon was among those confused by the decision on Bowyer.

"Feel bad for Truex," Gordon tweeted Monday. "He got in under controversy now out due to it. But the guy who started all of this (Bowyer) not (a)ffected at all??? Don't agree!

"At this point all that matters to me is if @NASCAR decides to fix this then fix it completely!"

Gordon and Bowyer were involved in a feud during last year's Chase that came to a head after a wreck at Phoenix International Raceway in November. Following the race, members of each of their crews exchanged verbal and physical blows on pit road and the in garage area.

Helton said there was "no conclusive evidence" that Bowyer spun intentionally. NASCAR deemed the penalty necessary because it reviewed radio communications between MWR general manager Ty Norris and driver Brian Vickers, in which Vickers was instructed to pit.

Because Norris orchestrated the drama and acknowledged the conversation in a meeting Monday with NASCAR officials, he was suspended indefinitely.

In a tweet following the announcement, Waltrip said the controversy "wasn't a master plan or about a spin."

"It's about a split-second decision made by Ty to try to help a teammate," Waltrip tweeted. "I stand by my people."

Nonetheless, in a statement issued later Monday, Waltrip said his team would accept the penalties: "We apologize to NASCAR, our fellow competitors, partners and fans who were disappointed in our actions. We will learn from this and move on. As general manager, Ty Norris has been an integral part of Michael Waltrip Racing since its founding and has my and (co-owner) Rob Kauffman's full support."

Norris also tweeted an apology to all those who were affected by his decision "in the greatest race for the chase in its 10 yr history."

In the past, NASCAR has been loathe to change results after they happen. If a race winner is found to have used an illegal part, for example, NASCAR may issue points penalties, fines or suspensions â?? but does not strip the win.

That made Monday's decision all the more shocking. When NASCAR's Chase contenders gather Thursday in Chicago for the pre-playoff media day, they'll have to take a new group photo - with Newman and without Truex.

Earlier Monday, Newman told reporters on a teleconference he was hurting emotionally and even physically after the disappointment of seeing a Chase spot taken away from him.

"It's pretty obvious to me the decisions that were made and the communication led up to that," he said. "What happened to me on Saturday night is the toughest thing I've ever gone through in any kind of racing in my 30 years of driving because of the way everything went down."

After being installed into a Chase spot, Newman said he was "proud NASCAR took a stand" and acknowledged officials' "tough decision."

Team owner Tony Stewart said Newman was back in his "rightful place in this year's Chase."

"NASCAR was put in a very difficult position Saturday night at Richmond and we commend the sanctioning body for taking the time to do the necessary due diligence to ensure that the right call was made," Stewart said.

Bowyer denied his spin was anything but an accident, but questionable radio chatter raised many eyebrows in the garage.

It got worse from there. Though Bowyer's car was undamaged, he managed to lose two laps and get passed by Logano. Vickers was then called into the pits for no reason - he was incredulous at the call on the team radio - and then ran a lap approximately 30 mph slower than the rest of the field, which allowed Logano to get by.

The extra positions allowed Logano to make the top 10 in points, meaning he would not need to use a wild card. Truex then got the second wild card spot over Newman, decided by a tiebreaker.

Logano's Chase berth was unaffected by Monday's penalties.

NASCAR initially told USA TODAY Sports there was no funny business with Bowyer's spin or any other action during the race. But Helton said officials began to get more information early Sunday morning, which changed the situation and forced an hours-long meeting on Monday.

MWR officials â?? including Norris â?? were included in the meeting and allowed to plead their case.

"This is a very significant reaction from NASCAR," Helton said. "It's difficult. It's not an easy decision to make. The conversations about it were deep."

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Here's a look at the in-car audio from Bowyer and Vickers, which prompted the call for Monday's historic revision of results: